This morning we learned that Joe Biden is making it official. He’s running for a second term. Of course, he’d already said he would be multiple times, but now he really means it. He’s got a new commercial announcing the news and CNN has been dutifully playing it on a loop all day. Of course, it’s unclear whether Biden actually remembers that he’s already told us his decision. In fact, it’s not a sure bet that he remembers much of anything these days. That brings us to former White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson. The doctor had a letter to the President ready to go when the announcement came out. In the letter, Jackson demands that Biden either submit to a cognitive test or resign and drop out of the race. (NY Post)
Rep. Ronny Jackson, who was a White House physician to multiple presidents, is circulating a letter among House Republicans demanding that President Biden take a cognitive test or drop out of the 2024 race.
Jackson, R-Texas, led previous calls for Biden to take a cognitive test, including one in July 2022 that was signed by more than 50 House Republicans. The latest letter, first obtained by Fox News, comes as Biden announced Tuesday morning that he will seek reelection.
“We call on you to either resign immediately and renounce your bid for reelection or submit to a clinically validated cognitive screening assessment and make those results available to the public,” Jackson’s letter, which is addressed to Biden, says.
It’s unlikely that Biden will respond to the letter or even acknowledge that it was sent. Such demands have been made regularly since he took office without results. If he took a cognitive test as part of his last physical, the public was not informed of the results.
Still, it’s good that Jackson sent the letter if only to keep the issue in the eyes of the public. Joe Biden should demonstrate the responsibility to take such a test and be transparent about the results. The President has too many responsibilities for the office to be left in the hands of someone who may not be mentally firing on all cylinders these days.
While we’re on the subject, Donald Trump should take the same test and similarly release the results. And I don’t mean have his kind of kooky personal doctor administer it. As a former President, Trump is eligible to stop by Walter Reed and have such a test conducted. What’s good for the goose, etcetera. Trump took one while he was in the White House when it was requested and he passed with flying colors. I’m fairly confident he could manage it again now.
In fact, while it would likely be impossible to make it legally mandatory, every candidate in both primaries should do the same. That would be the only fair standard and cognitive problems can show up at any age, though it’s clearly more common as people advance in years. As I’ve disclosed here in the past, I’m in my mid-sixties, almost two decades younger than Biden and I’ve already begun having my own share of “senior moments” where I call one of our pets by the wrong name.
I’ll go a step further and disclose that I even talked to our family doctor about it and took a cognitive test as a precaution. I somehow managed to ace it, but we’ll keep checking every few years. The tests really aren’t very scary and they are not medically intrusive. We can’t force candidates to do this, but if there is strong public sentiment in favor of the idea, let’s just say that I will have questions about any candidates who refuse. And you should too.
